Bing introduces Usage Rights to image search

Looking for a cool image to add to your blog? Need that perfect picture for your new business presentation? It sounds simple enough, but in many cases you could be breaking the law, as many images on the internet are simply not free to use and rights must be checked. Bing now wants to help you with that.

The search engine introduces a new option to its web service -- Usage Rights. "We are excited to offer the 'Search by License' feature for Bing image search. At Bing, we love helping creative artists whether you’re a blogger, teacher, student or even a small business owner looking to market your latest creation", says Bing Images Program Manager Rizwan Ansary.

A menu can now be accessed, allowing users to search via All Images, Public Domain, Free to Share, Use Commercially and several other options.

To access the new feature, simply do an image search using Bing. Once the search is initiated the results trigger a menu bar across the top the screen. There, a "license" dropdown menu is listed, allowing you to narrow the search and find the images you can use for whatever project you have in the works.

"In the latest version of Office 2013, you can also search for images on Bing directly from any Office application. Not only that, the search results will show licensed images by default. This is also based on the same technology that is powering the 'Search by License' filter we are introducing today", the Bing team points out.

The option was available when I tested it, but it was not clear from the announcement if this was a gradual roll out, so if you do not see it yet, then check back soon.